


Five Seconds left

by Alien_abducted_Salmon



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 07:29:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14828028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alien_abducted_Salmon/pseuds/Alien_abducted_Salmon
Summary: One of my practices based on a Tumblr writing-prompt.





	Five Seconds left

**Author's Note:**

> "There are only five seconds left before he will call your name"

You’re sitting in class. It’s your usual tired Monday morning.   
You see your Geography teacher entering the room, students scattering towards their seats and flopping down as the chattering slowly dies down.   
The old man adjusts his round glasses and scrambles through a pile of pages he put down on his desk. He clears his throat and pulls up the paper he’d been looking for. 

His snarling voice calls the first name on the list.   
The student answers.   
The second name – answer.   
The third – answer.   
You know the drill by now.   
And still, you always get stuck in your thoughts. 

What if I sound weird when I say my usual ‘Present’? Should I rather say ‘Here’? No, someone just said ‘here’. But if I don’t say ‘here’ people will think that I’m trying to stand out. But what if they think I’m just copying them? 

Maybe I should just answer ‘Yes’. ‘Yes’ could be anything. But what if my teacher remarks on it?   
Do you say ‘yes’ when taking attendance? How do you properly react? Is there a guide line for it? Can you just do as you as you please, or did some smart guy come up with a ‘How to react to your name being called during attendance’ at some point?   
Why am I even worrying about it?   
Everybody so far has said ‘present’ or ‘here’ – I will just do that. 

‘Present’ or ‘Here’. ‘Here’ is shorter. I can’t possibly mess that up.   
But what if I do? What if my voice will come out scratchy? What if I embarrass myself in front of the whole class? 

Your teacher calls up the next name. And the next.   
Everybody just answers – like they all don’t care. Like they’re all not scared at all. 

Is it just you? 

I must be so weird, you think. 

Your mind is racing. 

Nobody else is probably scared of sounding weird during attendance.

You hear your teacher calling up the name of the girl in front of you. You brace yourself.   
There are only five seconds left before he will call your name.   
She answers. Just says ‘Here’. So very casual. 

What if I mess up now? It’s going to stand out so much more now that she just said it so perfectly. I can’t do this, you think.   
I could never show up again. 

He calls your name.   
You take a breath. 

“Present”, you say.   
You don’t stutter.   
Your voice comes out clear. 

You’re fine.


End file.
